Cleaning apparatus



Dee` 12,1944. E E FRANZ 2,364,704

CLEANING APPARATUS Filed June 5, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 12, 1944.

. E. E. FRANZ `'2,364,704

CLEANING APPARATUS Filed June'5,`1942 2 sneets.sheet 2 f" n 40 l i l l l 'o e/ 63 l 64 l l }`l,`\ l 25 1 22 59 sa 4a 4 7 I I j, /0

/N VEN Tof? E. E. FRA NZ A T TU PNEV Patented Dec. 12, 1944 UNITED STATES OFFICE CLEANING APPARATUS ernV Electric Company,incorporateds NewYork,

N. Y., a corporation of New :York

Application `.rum 5, 1942, :serial No. 445.911

This invention relates to cleaning apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus `for cleaning articles, such as terminals of electrical units.

Terminals of electrical units to which lead wires of coils or other parts of the units are Connected lby means of soldering, are in someinstances required .to be. cleaned toremove solder 'flux or other foreign particles therefrom, which may lessen or preventelectrical connections with the terminals during the use of such electrical units. The method of cleaningl such terminals depends upon the contour andthe arrangement of the terminals Von the electrical units, and when a plurality of terminals is ,present it is important that they each be thoroughly clean.

lAn object ofthe invention isto provide a simple, eicient and highly practical apparatus for cleaning articles, particularly terminals of electrical units.

With the above and Vother'objects in View, the invention `comprises cooperating brushes movable relative to an article disposed therebetween *and continuously supplied with a cleaning uid to clean the article.

Other objects and advantages will Vbe apparent from the following detailed description when considered inconjunction with 'the accompanying drawings, wherein' Fig. 1 is a vertical Y,sectional view'of the apparatus, portions thereof being shown in elevation;

Fig. 2`is-a top plan view'of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal'sectional View taken along the line '3-3 of Fig. `1;

Fig. 4 is a'horizontalsectional 'view'taken substantially along'the lined-:4 of Fig. 1,'and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken along the line5`5 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, attention is rst directed to Fig. l, which illustrates a housing I which is cylindrical in general contour and is substantially closed at its lowerend by a base Irland at its upper endby a cover I V2." The base Il rests upon any suitable support, such as a table I4, and is recessed to receive a supply tank l for a cleaning fluid I6,the latter being ofa 'suitable type such as lvarsol. The supfply tank l5 may Ibe of any desired length and extend `throuleiyh an aperture l'l'l in the'table. A tubular outlet i8 for the-housing il) .has its lupper end disposed in an :aperture .i9 of the ibase Il and extends downwardly .a desired .distance into the tank l5. A receiving tube 12B valso .extends through an aperture in the .base I I, v.the lower end of the 'tube terminating, however, a .short distance beneath .the base .within the .tank l5.

Ail. 5

The ulgiper` end of Vtheitube '20 Vcommunicates with apassageway 2'I in "an element "22 which 'is jof the contourillustrated ,inFigs.` '1, 3, fiand'. The element is formed to be received `in'the 'housing I0, particularly in, areduc'ed 'upper 'portion 2,5 in the walls thQeITQOLiandjresl-,ulpon an'annular shou1de'r`21 asjshowninl'g. 1.

.,Returning'now 'to .thepassaeeway l 'which iS l aswill be epparentbv viewinefigs 1 and 4, are

of the 'geartype Aadaptedfto rreceive a fluid from the passageway@ and 'transmet the 'llid 'in quantitiesyinthe cavities between the ,teeth-of the members, in oppositeadirections about the wall of 'the compartmentl 4to :the opposite Aside thereof. Thus the members-are interengaged and the driving of Y,one "member will result -in simultaneous driving `ofI both members. The

pump member -32 is-,mounted upon afshaft v35Y (Figs. 1, 3 fandl which i's'suitably v-journavlledin bearing portions of -therjelement 122 passing through -a hollow *portion -3'67'of Vthelelement in which gears vare disposed. The gears referred tofinclucieal gear 3l Afixed to theshait `ivi/another gear 38 being Ymounted "for free lrotation upon the shaft.- Another shaftjfwhich'mayfbetermed a drive Yshaftis indicated --at 39 and 'is' disposed in suitable vbearingsein the #element 252 parallel kwith the shaft 35,*asshown in Fig. A5. "The shaft 39 does Anot project vthrough thelement 22, `as does theshaf t 35, ebutls'tops short-thereof toallow for-a small Ashaft-llt for lthe pump'inember L33 -to be journalled -in vthe-same T'bearing `therewith. Gears 42 Vand 4`3 are i disposed upon the shaft v39, the former being free to 'rotate thereon Awhile the latter is fixed thereto. It will'benoted that the'fixedend gearsi31 vand-43 are ofthe single type, while Athe free 'intermediate gears 38 land 42 are vof the double type.v A-:suitable `power means, suchkas au-motoriupis operatively connected,`a;s at 545, *to theshaft' fand whenthe shaft -39 'lis rotated the gear 43 i'slidriven thereby, .drivin'g vthe gear T38 fwhichis `in interengage ment itherewith and tree to rotate .upon'itsfshaft 35. The gears and'42 ibeing iniinterenga'gement vwith `each `:other andthe @gears 42 and i' 31 being 1also 'in interengagement with each other, complete a idriving :conmecticm `rorn the 1motor 44 through the shaft 39, the gear 43, the gear 38,

the gear 42, the gear 31, to the shaft 35. Thus the pump member 32 is driven and during its rotation the motor member 33 is driven.

Attention is now directed to the exit side of therpump members, where a passageway 41 extends vertically from a positionv in communication with the compartment 3|, where it receives the fluid I6, to a'lateral passageway 48 provided unit indicated generally at 50.

is composed of a multiplicity of bristles, extendwill meet the inner ends of the bristles of the brush 52, supported by a member 55 which is` removably disposed in 'a central aperture 56 of the element 5|. The member 55 also has an integral portion 51 as shown in Fig. 1 and receivable in a recess of the element,5|. Apertures 51 are also provided therein adjacent the meeting edges ofthe brushes. Although the member 55 may be removed from its aperture, there is a suicient frictional holding force present to hold the brush for'- movement with the element.

' The velement 5I of the unit 50 `has a shaft portion 58 provided with longitudinal grooves 59 therein communicating at their upper ends with passageways 66 in alignment with the juncture or meeting ends of the two brushes 52 a'nd 54, the lower ends of the grooves 59 communicating with an annular recess 6| in the shaft portion. The recess 6I communicates'with the passageway 48 so that there may bea continuous passageway for the fluid from the pump members to the brushes.

Attention is at this time directed to the forward or left end -of the passageway 48 which continues beyondrthe shaft portion 58 of the unit` 56 which is closed by a plug 63. Adjacent the plug 63 is a reduced or recess portion 64 in the element 22, this recess being provided for the supplying of the cleaning fluid I6 to the housing` and tank by the removal of a plug 66 from the adjacent wall of the housing I0. A passageway` 61 is also provided in the element 22 which leads from the upper portion of the element Ibeneath' the unit 50 to the recess 64.

The lower end of the shaft portion 58 has a reduced portion or end 68 which extends beneath the element 22 to receive a lever arm 18 (Figs.`

1 and 4),. A link 1I is mounted upon the outer end of the arm 10 to operatively connect `the arm to an eccentric or crank arm 12, thelatter being mounted upon the shaft 35 beneath a cover plate 14 which supports the pump members 32 and 33 and closes the compartment 3| in which between the brushes 52 and 54. The portion 51 serves as a stop and a support for the electrical unit 11. In the vpresent embodiment the terminals 18 are disposed in circular arrangement and extend agiven distance beneath the body of the unit. Furthermore, the terminals are cirdirect alignment with the aperture 16.

ing substantially radially so that their outer ends cular in cross-section, they being hollow and having received leads or conductors therein which have been soldered in place by the dipping of the terminals in a solder bath not shown.

A safety feature is incorporated in the apparatus and made a part thereof. This feature includes a door pivotally mountedvat 8| and of the general contour illustratedin Fig. 2, with an aperture 82 to receive the unit 11 and be in Y If the existing friction between the brushes and the terminals should cause ignition of thecleaning fluid during the operation of the apparatus, the electrical unit may be withdrawn and the heat of the flame would melt a fusible link 85, which normally holds the door q8|] in the open position, against the force of a spring 86. The spring has one end fixed at 81 to a portion of the housing and the other end connected, at 88 to a projecting end of the door 86. end fixed to a pin 89 mounted upon the cover I2, the other end-being connected to a pin 90 which is mounted upon the door 86 and projects through an elongate aperture 9| in the cover, the ends of Ythe aperture limiting the movement of the pin and controlling the open andclosed positions of the door.

`During the operation of the apparatus the motor 41| drives the shaft 39, and through the gears 43, 38, 42 and 31, the shaft 35 is driven to drive the pump member 32 and, through their interengagement, the pump member 33. At the same time, rotation of the eccentric 12will cause an oscillatory movement to be imparted to the unit 50 through the link 1| and the arm 10. During this oscillatory movement of the unit 5I] the fluid I6 or quantities vthereof are drawn continuously through the tubular member 20 from the tank I5, through the passageways 2|, 29 and 30 to the compartment 3|, where the iiuid is divided into two portions by the pump members and passed around the Walls of the compartment to the outlet end thereof. From this'point the fluid is forced through the passageways 41 and 48 into the recess 6|, and upwardly through the grooves 59 and the passageways 60 to the brushes 52 and 54 at their meeting edges. With the doorvll normally open, an article such as the electrical unit 11 may be lowered through the apertures 16 and 82 until the terminals 18 thereof are positioned at the juncture of the brushes. The oscillatory movement of the unit will impart the same motion to the brushes, and due to the structure ofthe latter the bristles thereof willl scrape over all portions of'each terminal to loosen and remove therefrom the undesired particles present thereon. Furthermore, the cleaning fluid I6, inr

being constantly forced upwardly in direct alignment with the article orl the portions thereof jbeing cleaned at the juncture of the two brushes, cooperates therewith in the cleaning operation Yand the removal of the particles freed from the article or terminal during the 4cleaning operation. Thus the fluid used during the cleaning operation overflows the unit and passes back into the supply in the spaces provided upon' each side of the element 22, as clearly illustratedin Figs.,3 and 4. Any solid particles which have been removed or substances which will be of greater cleaning fluid, will pass downwardly in the fluid and eventually settle at .the bottom vof the tank I5, they having passed through `the outlet tube I8. The tube 20 having its lower end positioned above the lower The fusible link has one end of the tank I 5, will receive its supply thereby and at a position 'out of association with the used fluid wherein the foreign particles may be present. This operation may be continued, the cleaning operation repeated by the placing of an article through the apertures 'I6 and 82, its removal and another article disposed in place.

It will, therefore, be apparent that friction elements such as the elements are formed to engage all portions of an article to be cleaned at the juncture thereof and that a cleaning fluid is constantly supplied thereto at the said juncture of the friction members, the cleaning fluid not only assisting in the cleaning operation to v remove the particles resulting from the opera-v tion fbut returning the uid in which the particles are disposed to a portion of the supplyl spaced from that portion adjacent the pump members.

Although specific improvements -of the invention have been shown and described it Will be understood that they are but illustrative and that various modications may -be made therein without vdeparting from the scope and spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning apparatus comprising a cleaning unit including a cup-shaped element, with apertures disposed in a circular arrangement in the bottom portion thereof, and opposing brushes with their free ends substantially meeting adjacent the apertures, a shaft, having longitudinally extending grooves therein communicating with the apertures, supporting the unit, means to support the shaft for movement about its axis, a reservoir for a supply of cleaning uid, a feeding passageway leading from the reservoir to the grooves in the shaft, operable ui-d circulating means disposed in the feeding passageway to force fluid from the supply through the passageway, the grooves, the apertures and through the brushes to overflow the open end of the element, a return passageway to receive the fluid overflowing from the element and revturn it to the reservoir, power means to operate the circulating means, and means to operatively connect the shaft to the power means to cause oscillation of the shaft and unit to cause the brushes, aided by the uid traveling therethrough, to remove foreign particles from an article disposed between the brushes.

2. A -cleaning apparatus comprising a cleaning unit including a cup-shaped element, with apertures `disposed in a circular arrangement in the bottom portion thereof, and opposing brushes with their free ends substantially meeting ad jacent the apertures, a shaft, having longitudinally extending grooves therein communicating with the apertures, supporting the unit, means to support the shaft for movement about its axis, a reservoir for a supply of -cleaning uid, a feeding passageway leading from the reservoir to the grooves in the shaft, operable uid circulating means disposed in the feeding passageway to `force fluid from the supply through the'passageway, the grooves, the apertures and through the brushes to overflow the open end ofthe element, a return passageway to receive the uid overiiowing from the element andreturn it to the reservoir, power means to operate the circulating means, means to operatively connect the shaft to the power means to cause oscillation of the shaft and unit to cause the brushes, aided by the uid traveling therethrough, to remove foreign particles from an article disposed between the brushes, and means having an article receiving aperture therein to guidel the article between the brushes.

ERWINE. FRANZ. 

